Improvement in propellers for steam vessels



@sind elettive.

ROBERT SUTTON, OF NEW CASTLE, DELAWARE.

Letters Patent No. 107,120, dated September 6, 1870.

*IMPROVEMENT IN PROPELLERS FOR STEAM VESSELS.

Thel Schedule-referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same To all whomt't may concern A Be it known that l, ROBERT SUTTON, of New Castle, in the county ofNew Gastleand State of Delaware, have invented a new and improved Propeller for Steam- Vessels; and I do hereby declare that theI following is a l'ull, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing making .part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a side view of the propeller.

Figure 2 is a diz'nnetrical section through the same.

- Figure 3 is an end View of the propeller.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in theseveral figures.

This invention relates to an improvement on that class of scre\\'propellers for steam-vessels which are adapted for being arranged beneath the Overhanging guards, and On both sides of and parallel with the keel of the boat.

The improvement which l have made on this kind of propeller consists 'in constructing it of a -number hollow air-tight sections, united by means of interlocking teeth, or other equivalent devices, which will allow lthe sections to be readily sepa-rated from one another in the event of collision or other serions accident, and to be used as litepreservers.

The following description will enable others skilled in the art to understand and carry into ei'ect my invention.

. In the accompanying drawing I have represented three sections ofthe improved propeller', each one of which is cylindrical. s

ln a complete propeller more than three sections may be employed, and the whole, when pnt together, will be terminated by pointed or conical sections.

1a-ch one ofthe sections A consists of' a cylindrical shell, with both ends closed by bulk-heads C C, which foimha hollow air-tight section, possessing great Luoyancy.

through them the shaft D, which pern'ations will be closed', when a section is used as a tloating life-pretions, when the sections arebrought together on the shaft D, thus uniting the sections as though they were all made Oi' a single piece.

The teeth a are formed on the endsol' the cylindrical portions ofthe sections, as shown in the drawing, and, while I' prefer to adopt this mode of' connecting the sections together, so that one will not turn without the other, I do not confine myself' to teeth, as other equivalent means may be adopted to eti'ect the same result.

B is the flange' or propeller-blade, .which winds around the sections from one end to the other of the propeller.

Propellers thus constructed are to be applied to boats in such manner that,'ir1 the 'event of a serions accident, requiring the passengers to leave the boat, the propeller-shaft can be readily unshipped from its bearings fore and aft, and the sections A separated from one another and usedas floats for preserving liie and property.

Having described my invention,

What I` claim new, and desire to secure by Let ters Patent, is-

. A screw-propeller, made up of hollow air-tight see` tions, connected together on a shaft by means ol' interlocking devices, substantially as described.

ROBERT SUTTON.

Witnesses ROBERT C. GORDON, J. H. SWAN. 

